{"title":"Books by David Almond","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781406394559","title":"Annie Lumsden, the Girl from the Sea","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA magical story about finding your identity from one of the most acclaimed storytellers of his generation, richly illustrated in full colour by an internationally renowned artist.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMy mother says that all things can be turned to tales. I thought she meant tales like fish tails, but I was wrong. She meant tales like this, tales that are stories. But this tale of mine is very like a fish tail too...\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnnie has never been like the other girls. Her mam tried sending her to school when she was small, but Annie couldn’t seem to make words or numbers stick. She prefers instead to be swimming in the sea, or sunbathing on the shore at Stupor Beach, her head full of tales. She should have been a fish, her mam always tells her, and Annie knows the truth of it. Then a stranger who comes to town is struck by the beauty and the wonder of her, and Annie Lumsden realizes that perhaps she really is half a creature from the sea.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43071156289714,"sku":"9781406394559","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781406394559_72a55895-5d42-495b-a07e-7cac1b3c8cee.jpg?v=1792599243"},{"product_id":"9781444963281","title":"Paper Boat, Paper Bird","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis wonderful tale transports Mina to Kyoto, Japan, an entirely new and different cultural landscape, where she encounters the magic of origami and an older magic, too. She accepts an origami paper boat from a woman on the bus. 'Ko-ni-chi-wa,' says the woman, 'Take it.'  And then, 'Float it.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMina watches as the woman's fingers fold another elaborate paper form: creased, tugged and teased into the shape of a paper bird. She imagines what it would be like to be a sheet of paper in the woman's hands, to become a paper Mina. The crowds around her disappear and Kyoto is gone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a beautiful story from one of the masters of magical realism, David Almond, with stunning illustrations from Kirsti Beautyman.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Spell-binding... impossible to resist... breathless, intoxicating prose. [Almond's] books seem to exist in their own otherworldly universe, outside all the trends in modern publishing, yet resolutely of the now.\" The Glasgow Herald\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"David Almond's books are strange, unsettling wild things - unfettered by the normal constraints of children's literature. They are, like all great literature, beyond classification.\" The Guardian\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[David Almond] is that rare thing - a writer of lucid, mature elegance, who can still see the world through adolescent eyes.\" The Daily Telegraph\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A writer of visionary Blakean intensity.\" The Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A master storyteller.\" The Independent\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43128712462514,"sku":"9781444963281","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57685913665909,"sku":"9781444963274","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781444963281_d32a36c7-15b8-41b5-a863-2074fed52199.jpg?v=1792599150"},{"product_id":"9780340944998","title":"The Fire Eaters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere he was, below the bridge, half-naked, eyes blazing. He had a pair of burning torches. He ran them back and forth across his skin. He sipped from a bottle, breathed across a torch, and fire and fumes leapt from his lips. The air was filled with the scent of paraffin. He breathed again, a great high spreading flag of fire. He glared. He roared like an animal.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat summer, life had seemed perfect for Bobby Burns. But now it's autumn and the winds of change are blowing hard. Bobby's dad is mysteriously ill. His new school is a cold and cruel place. And worse: nuclear war may be about to start. But Bobby has a wonder-working friend called Ailsa Spink. And he's found the fire-eater, a devil called McNulty. What can they do together on Bobby's beach? Is it possible to work miracles? Will they be able to transform the world?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA stunning novel from the author of the modern children's classic \u003ci\u003eSkellig\u003c\/i\u003e - winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201665630386,"sku":"9780340944998","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780340944998_99465e28-0deb-486c-b0dc-24093e7b933a.jpg?v=1786013652"},{"product_id":"9780340854334","title":"Skellig The Play","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe bestselling story about love, loss and hope that launched David Almond as one of the best children's writers of today has been adapted into a play by the author. \u003ci\u003eSkellig The Play\u003c\/i\u003e was directed by Trevor Nunn and performed by an all-star cast at the National Theatre in 2002. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the ramshackle garage of his new home and finds something magical. A strange creature - human? beast? bird? angel? - a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes for ever . . .\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201682636978,"sku":"9780340854334","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780340854334.jpg?v=1786013457"},{"product_id":"9780340944950","title":"Skellig","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe bestselling story about love, loss and hope that launched David Almond as one of the best children's writers of today. Winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread children's book of the Year Award.  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature - part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes for ever . . .\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSkellig\u003c\/i\u003e won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. David Almond is also winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen award.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePowerful and moving - \u003c\/i\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43201694924978,"sku":"9780340944950","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780340944950.jpg?v=1786013648"},{"product_id":"9781406319859","title":"The Savage","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA powerful yet accessible tale of grief, solace and hope – part novel, part graphic novel \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e–\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e from an internationally renowned storyteller and a visionary artist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eImagine you wrote a story and that story came true. This is exactly what happens to Blue Baker when he writes about a savage living alone in the woods near his home. After his dad’s death, Blue finds comfort in dreaming of a wild kid who survives on a diet of berries and the occasional hapless passer-by. 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She's there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene: catapulted  into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; of  high arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so  dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured  and taken from her.   But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the loss she feels when Ella is taken from the world.  This is her story - as she bears witness to a love so complete; so sure, that not even death can prove final.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204423680178,"sku":"9781444922134","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781444922134_1be2abeb-9455-42b3-9533-fa0fd0093a6a.jpg?v=1786020505"},{"product_id":"9781529506655","title":"A Way to the Stars","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn enchanting and heart-warming story that will make you want to reach for stars.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJoe wants to find a way to the stars. With the help of his dad, he builds a ladder, a tower, even a rocket to go \u003ci\u003eup, up, up… Oh no! Crash, bang, wallop! What next?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTogether, the pair jump on pogo sticks and build sheds to paint their dreams and find a way. An uplifting and magical tale of sky-high courage, imagination and the bond between father and son that will make your heart soar. Written by internationally acclaimed author David Almond and brought to glorious life by award-winning illustrator Gill Smith in their first collaboration.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"For a soaring story of the loving bond between parent and child, A Way to the Stars… is sheer delight.\" \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Gently funny, emotionally warm, this magical story is a reminder of how important the bond between parent and child can be.\" \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685682946421,"sku":"9781529517217","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":43204715118770,"sku":"9781529506655","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529517217.jpg?v=1792598829"},{"product_id":"9781739830144","title":"The Poet And The Echo","description":"\u003cp\u003eTaken from the BBC Radio 4 series, each story is the author’s response to a well-loved poem, a new work infused with the passion of a previous writer’s vision.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the majesty of the Scottish highlands to the lakeside gardens of an Italian palace, from a secondary school under inspection to a spa-break away from carework, this enticing array of stories charm and astonish, conveying us across ten vivid fictional worlds to ask the most intimate questions; how do we balance love and duty? How do we manage in the face of family secrets? As we change while others don’t? As loved ones are taken from us by old age, by mental illness and even by force?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a great spread of countries throughout history, these sumptuous stories show the united wealth of our common humanity, and give a reminder that love and hope spring in the unlikeliest of places.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStories from David Almond, Leila Aboulela, Fred D’Aguiar, Jenni Fagan, Cathy Forde, Harry Josephine Giles, Pippa Goldschmidt, Jessie Greengrass, Hannah Lavery, and PK Lynch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204946854066,"sku":"9781739830144","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781739830144.jpg?v=1786024278"},{"product_id":"9780340997260","title":"My Name is Mina","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere's an empty notebook lying on the table in the moonlight. It's been there for an age. I keep on saying that I'll write a journal. So I'll start right here, right now. I open the book and write the very first words:\u003c\/i\u003e My name is Mina and I love the night. \u003ci\u003eThen what shall I write? I can't just write that this happened then this happened then this happened to boring infinitum. I'll let my journal grow just like the mind does, just like a tree or a beast does, just like life does. Why should a book tell a tale in a dull straight line?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eAnd so Mina writes and writes in her notebook, and here is her journal, Mina's life in Mina's own words: her stories and dreams, experiences and thoughts, her scribblings and nonsense, poems and songs. Her vivid account of her vivid life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this stunning book, David Almond revisits Mina before she has met Michael, before she has met Skellig.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShortlisted for the 2012 Carnegie Medal.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206047531186,"sku":"9780340997260","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780340997260_40b02fd6-7113-492f-95ec-8dd951f0b368.jpg?v=1786013847"},{"product_id":"9781444952926","title":"Bone Music","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the bestselling, award-winning David Almond comes a book of hope and joy: under a boundless starry sky, the unforgettable Sylvia Carr finds out what it means to be brave. For readers of Michael Morpurgo and Katherine Rundell, from the author of the beloved \u003ci\u003eSkellig.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eShe felt like a ghost. She woke in the night. What was that music?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSylvia has never been so far away. Her mother has brought her to this village, this place of silence and dark, endless forest, and she yearns for the city, the bright lights, her friends, even a phone signal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLate one night she hears the music, a weird jagged spiralling sound. It is played by Gabriel, a troubled, beautiful boy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGabriel uses the strangest of flutes, a hollow bone. Play it well enough, he says, and you cross the borders between the living and the dead.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSylvia knows she'll follow him into the depths of the forest. But will they ever find their way out again?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for David Almond:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A master storyteller.\" \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Spell-binding... impossible to resist... breathless, intoxicating prose. [Almond's] books seem to exist in their own otherworldly universe, outside all the trends in modern publishing, yet resolutely of the now.\"\u003ci\u003e Glasgow Herald\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"David Almond's books are strange, unsettling wild things - unfettered by the normal constraints of children's literature. They are, like all great literature, beyond classification.\"\u003ci\u003e Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[David Almond] is that rare thing - a writer of lucid, mature elegance, who can still see the world through adolescent eyes.\"\u003ci\u003e Daily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206138888370,"sku":"9781444952926","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781444952926_85eb9d5d-2073-45e9-ab22-8a16bab96848.jpg?v=1786020826"},{"product_id":"9781444954203","title":"Island","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA hopeful and moving coming-of-age story set on the island of Lindisfarne\u003c\/b\u003e,\u003cb\u003e by David Almond, author of the bestselling Skellig and A Song for Ella Grey: now with fantastic illustrations by the award-winning David Litchfield.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLouise has travelled with her father to the island of Lindisfarne every year ever since she can remember - it's the place Louise's mother loved best of all. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe arrival of Hassan from war-torn Syria changes everything. Louise is restless and yearning for independence; meanwhile, the fiercely free and self-reliant Hassan seems to know the island from long ago as if it were his home from birth. Hassan is an acrobat, maybe a sorcerer, possibly a source of great danger. The wild boys who call the island their home want to cast him out. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe forces of love, death and hope move Louise and Hassan together. Lindisfarne will change their lives forever. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid Almond is the author of many beloved and prize-winning books for children and teenagers. His best known work, Skellig, won the Whitbread Children's Award and the Carnegie Medal and was made into a feature-length film. A Song for Ella Grey, a beautiful retelling of the myth of Orpheus, won the Guardian Children's Book Prize 2015.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43254307061938,"sku":"9781444954203","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781444954203_debd9210-68e5-42f7-b1b6-9eb3012239b7.jpg?v=1786020837"},{"product_id":"9781406394689","title":"Brand New Boy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Mam, did you think George was,” I say, “a bit … weird?”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Weird? Yes, I suppose so. But you kids are all a bit weird if you ask me. 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